Roses on the River
by agent000
Summary: He clutched the small bouquet of roses tightly in his hand, trying hard to find the dividing line between holding them too tightly and crushing them and holding them too loose and having them slip out of his fingers...


**_Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist._**

He clutched the small bouquet of roses tightly in his hand, trying hard to find the dividing line between holding them too tightly and crushing them and holding them too loose and having them slip out of his fingers. Remembering even the smallest things was a conscious effort at the moment, as his mind wouldn't stay focused on the task at hand, though he knew it had to be done.

The pebbles in the road seemed to bar his way as they kept causing his feet to falter and trip, and they mocked him as they did so. He paid no heed, but merely regained his stance and once again continued on his quest. There was a mission that needed to be fulfilled, and he'd fulfill it.

As he walked, the winds brushed past the boy's face, haunting him with their cruel whisperings. _You don't love her. You've forgotten her._

The boy shook his head and refused to be intimidated by the murmurings of the wind. _I do love her. I could never forget her._

_Turn back before you make a fool of yourself, _the wind continued to taunt.

_I already have made a fool of myself_, came the boy's honest reply, _and I have to do this regardless._

_She doesn't love you, _said the wind in its continued quest to deter the boy's faith, _she left you. She's forgotten you._

_Even so, _said the boy, firm in his stance on the subject once again, _I haven't forgotten her, and I have to do this._

Seeing that the boy could not be daunting by its teasing, the wind blew on to taunt someone else, leaving the boy to be trouble by his own thoughts, which were almost as bad as those things that the wind was trying to put into his head.

_If you love someone, you have to let them go.  
__I love her, so I must show her that I do by releasing her.  
__Even if she doesn't see,  
__Even if she doesn't care,  
__I must do this,  
__If not to show her, then to at least show myself.  
__I still love her. I always have, and I always will._

His footsteps finally reached the bed of the river. With a trembling hand, he gently knelt down and placed the roses on the water, allowing them to float with the gentle drift of the current. A tear rolled down his cheek as he watched them go. _If you love someone, you have to let them go._ He knew in his heart that he was doing the right thing in performing his little ceremony, but his heart still hurt with the pain of his loss that had not yet healed in several years.

"Mom," said the boy, choking back a sob, "I'm sorry for what I've done. I should have let you go before, but I was selfish and wanted you back. Now I've lost even more. I am sorry." He paused for a few moments which almost seemed like hours as he listened to the voices of the trees as they and the breeze joined together to sing in perfect harmony with each other. The wind ruffled his hair as if encouraging him to go on, like it had not just tried to discourage his coming to this place.

The boy took a gulp of air and tried to speak once again, but found that the words were not coming to his lips. There seemed to be nothing left to say, though he couldn't bring himself to leave either, not yet. Something more needed to be done. Tears clouded his vision and slowly began running small rivers down his cheeks, and spilling into the big river beneath his feet.

Words at last found their way to his lips, and he once again spoke. "I was wrong to do everything Brother said without question, and now he's gone. I will not make that mistake again. I will bring him back, I promise."

Time stood still and the boy could have sworn that the current in the water had stopped moving for that brief period. The birds didn't seem to be singing in the trees, and even the wind had stopped its whispering. He bated his breath and waited to see what would happen. Just then, a cloud that had been covering the sun parted just so in that streams of light began to pour down from the sky. Al looked up from his kneeling position by the bank and his lips quivered in an undecided smile. Somehow, this light formation felt strongly of his mother's touch, even if it could be explained scientifically. Some things just didn't seem to matter in the scientific realm, however, and this seemed to be one of those times. He knew that his mother had just forgiven him.

Al closed his eyes and let his face dry out while basking in the warm light. "Thank you," he said, hoping that she was still there and could hear his words, "Thank you, Mom, for forgiving me." The boy opened his eyes once again and looked for the roses he had set on the water's surface. They were long gone. Moved on. That was what he needed to do. With one last deep breath, he looked around, and then pushed himself up from the bank. He had finally let go of the one he loved. Now she could move on, and so could he.

**_Sorry, I was in another one of those odd moods I get in from time to time and find that I express myself better through fanfiction than anything else. I don't really know what to say about this one to explain it, because I don't know if there's anything to explain, heh, but I hope you liked it. Feel free to let me know your thoughts if you like, but it's up to you. Thanks at least for reading this, and have a nice day._**


End file.
